


Rose Champagne

by rosevon



Category: Death Stranding (Video Games)
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Medical Conditions, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 10:36:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21618361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosevon/pseuds/rosevon
Summary: Lydia is an artistic nurse who works at a little Knot bunker in the west of the UCA, abandoned by most of its population and filled with elders living out the last of their days.  Lately, no one has been coming in to see the doctor.  They're all scared, she decides.  Scared enough to not have any injuries.  She isn't scared. She's seen Death in the Doctor's office more times than once.  At least, she thought she did, until Death did actually find her.  And he wears a golden mask, fitted with a silver tongue and sharp hand.
Relationships: Higgs Monaghan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 65





	1. Peter

The little brunette sat at her desk, clicking a pen to relieve her boredom. Things were slow now ever since the Voidout at Central Knot, and it wasn't rather fair. No one came to the doctor anymore. No one wanted to. Bunch of preppers, they are, she thought, sighing. She leaned back in her chair. If she really wanted, she could just get some sleep.  


She'd lay back and cuddle into her coat, an old red leather lab coat that she technically wasn't supposed to have.  


Sleep would immediately make its slight to attack, before she heard the door open, and a familiar voice chime 'delivery!'  


She'd look up, seeing a regular porter shuffle in with some smart drugs. Sitting straight, she peered down the hall at him. This porter was special, really, she recognizing his black suit immediately. He always insisted on coming in to deliver personally. She enjoyed it, since they would often chit-chat about things while he was here. His face was hidden by a black mask, loose and leather, but tucked under the neck of his suit. A voice modulator was hid inside, making his voice particularly loud and deep. She assumed he liked to startle people, as he had the first time he delivered.  


She thought of what was under the mask, what kind of eyes went with that voice... surely they were blue. Or hazel. Gorgeous compared to her own golden emerald orbs, which she was always thankful for.  


Before she knew it, a hand was in front of her face, waking her from her daydreaming. She looked up, dragging the case of smart drugs off of the desk and setting it down on the floor. She was to take inventory of it later, since the porter never did so.  


"Thank you, Peter. We were just running short." Lydia said, smiling up at the porter.  


She felt as though he were smiling under his mask, a warm smile that you just kind of feel when you're not looking at someones face directly. It struck a kind of curiosity in her, her heart skipping a beat. She would lean up, propping herself on the desk.  


"Peter, can I see whats under your mask?" She unpromptedly asked dropping her chin in her hands and batting her eyes up at him. He looked taken aback by her question, throwing a dramatic hand over his chest.  


"See little ol' me? Nah, I don't think so. You'd be better off without seeing, really."  


"Are you suuuure?" Came slyly from the nurse, and, with a joking smile, she would be reaching up with eager hands to try and lift the hood up and away from his suit. She was so curious, for what reason, she didn't know.  


She'd yelp as his hand went to grab hers, a lightning quick movement that caught her completely off-guard. She tried to pull away, her hand being brought closer to his face. This action pulled her out of her low-set chair, Peter putting an unnecessary amount of force into bringing her closer. Her hand would be slipped under the leather mask, she feeling scratchy skin, a short and gruffy little beard growing in.  


"Your hands, they're... they're soft." Spoke the porter, his mouth still close enough to the voice modulator to be shifted by it. The words fell softly and hushed, like water droplets trickling from a drying well. Lydia stopped breathing to hear them, confused by all of this.  


"Its hard, you know? Hard to find someone with soft hands anymore. It can be misinterpreted by people... they'll think you aren't working."  


Lydia cocked her head. She never got comments on her hands. Never got comments on... anything, really. She'd blink, feeling something soft and wet on her palm. It was a light kiss, just around the fleshy inside of her hand. Peter chuckled, pulling her hand out of his mask by her wrist.  


"Drop me a few likes while I go back out into the void, darlin'." Said Peter. His charm had returned, and so had his smile, she assumed. He would step over to the side of her desk, grabbing the case of smart drugs he brought in. "I think I mixed up your order. I'll be back with more later." He said, turning and going for the door.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! A lot of 2 AM crackheadedness went into it...  
I appreciate you taking the time to read!


	2. Update

Hello readers! 

There are indeed many of you.

For my first work on AO3, I was NOT expecting so many people to be reading, especially overnight.

I wanted to let you all know that I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read the first chapter, and I have a LOT planned ahead(about 6 more chapters, to be quite honest)!

This part is my official opening of requests for fanfics, chapters, or anything else you'd like to see!

I hope to see a lot of you requesting; my love of writing has only grown after receiving so much attention. Thank you all SO much!

And for those wondering, I'll be posting every Saturday.

~Dani

P.S. I'm very anxious to be posting this, but I hope you all are enjoying Higgs and Lydia so far... there's a LOT coming up!


	3. Outside

Lydia stood hesitantly at the door. The sliding door just down the hall from her desk, about seven and a half feet tall by 4 feet wide and fitted with the black-blue theme of the bunker. She would wonder if she could even go outside. She didn't know much of that world... only that porters crawled it. And if she got stuck in a Timefall? What then? She couldn't end up like... like Dad. If she got caught in a Timefall and didn't escape the BTs, couldn't she cause a voidout? It was too much to think about, but it was the outside. She could go feel the sunlight on her skin, the grass under her boot. Everything she had yearned for since her father... left. Everything she had been warned against ever since she was a child. Oh, but she wanted it, and she wanted it bad. She wanted it more than anything she'd ever wanted. She wanted to grab her sketchbooks and pencils and just go, just go outside and sit and draw everything in her eyeline.

She'd jump as the lift door opened, being looked down at by Peter himself, carrying two more cases of supplies. Suddenly embarrassed, she'd swiftly shuffle back over to her desk.

Peter said nothing afirst, setting the cases on her desk and eyeing her curiously. "Expecting me, darlin'?" He'd ask, leaning his left elbow on the desk.

Lydia laughed, turning a bit red. "No, of course not," She tried to set off, taking quick inventory of the cases and sliding Peter fourty likes.  


He'd lean over her desk, peering down at her. "Why were you at the door, Lydia?"  


"No reason."  


He put his hand flat on the desk, and somehow that intimidated her, her green orbs turning to his glove warily. "Why were you at the door, Lydia?" He'd ask again, his voice becoming louder in the mask as he shifted to a more firm tone, like a father about to scold his child.  


Lydia thought hard and good about her answer, staring down at his hand. She settled for the truth, letting out a strained sigh as she opened her blossomy red lips.

"I want to go outside."  


"You want to what?" Asked the male, not quite expecting that answer.  


A chuckle came from the voice modulator, which turned into a laugh, and then got heavier. His laugh became manic and hysteric, he having to lean down on her desk.  


Lydia sighed, putting her face in her hands. She felt like a laughing stalk. No one went above ground, silly of her to think she could, especially after... all of the voidouts.... She felt Peter's gloved hand on her head, patting her softly.

"Honey, you ain't cut out for going upstairs. You'd get caught in a Timefall and then this city would be fucked. Quite frankly, I don't want to see you get hurt. Stay down here where its safe, understood?"  


She nodded solemnly, still hiding in her hands.  


"And don't be sad about it, alright? Ain't worth it."  


Lydia sighed and nodded, looking back up and pulling a case of smart drugs over to open it up and inspect it. She snapped it shut and set it down next to her desk, doing the same for the other. Peter watched her, turning for the door.  


"I'll be back tomorrow," He said.  


"Yes, sir," She replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hella cringe, sorry... I didn't quite know what to put here. Its just filler though, I swear.  
The real story is picking up soon~


	4. Sunlight, and then None

Lydia stood at the edge of the awning of the overground building. It was sunny outside, thank god. She stared out at the green grass, the dark boulders and rocky slopes nearby, steep hills and a wind farm atop a particularly high one nearby. She felt enchanted... enchanted by this... It was so much more than being a doctor. Fixing people, that was easy. Fixing the Earth? She hadn't really thought of that, but people mention it so much. It seemed so... unneeded. The Earth looked perfect in her eyes. She slowly took a step off of the cement, her boot making a soft crunch in the pale green grass. She walked out a bit, beyond the recognition line. She could feel her own breathing, it was as if she was breathing in the noon sunlight itself. It gave her a rush, but also a slow calm, like what the elders described nicotine as. The brunette would laugh, deciding she could explore a little bit. She started walking around, climbing up one of the steep hills to get a better view of things. Through the valley, she could see a cave on the opposite side. With a short and satisfied laugh, she would lay down and let herself tumble down the slope as though her body weighed less than a blade of grass. A squeal of excitement came from her small body, turning onto her back once she had reached the bottom and staring up into the sky. Her hair had come out of its bun on the way down, letting her long brown locks splay out nearly everywhere. She couldn't stop laughing, feeling such utter ecstasy and happiness.. 

And then she heard the lightning.

She opened her eyes. The sky had become dark, heavy clouds coming together above. She stood, looking to the west. No rain. East, curtains of water were sprinkling down from the sky, and getting close. She would look around closer for that cave, spotting it nearly straight across from her(if not a bit to the left) and sprinting for it. She would crash against the wall inside it, staring out.

This can't be a Timefall, it just can't, would keep racing through her head. Rain started to fall, tricking down the outside of cave as rain does. It looked like bars of a cage, locking her inside here until it decided to pass. The weather was particularly heavy, heavy enough that--if it went on for too long-- she felt it would cause a flood. She'd back away into the cave, letting out a sigh of relief. Closing her leather coat around her body, she would wonder how she would get back to the bunker. And just when she thought she could sit through the thick of it, a loud growl would pierce her ears.

She jumped and stood straight, whipping her head from her left to her right. No one was around her. A loud cracking sound would hit the rock wall next to her, she slowly swiveling her head to see a handprint near her skull. She immediately covered her mouth, watching as another handprint formed down at the left of her waist, and then again between her thighs. Tears stung her eyes and would blind her, and then slid down her apple-round cheeks. Another handprint at her feet, she pressing her head back against the jagged wall and trying not to let out sobs.

Just then, she felt something grab her left arm, a scream nearly escaping her throat. She looked over to see... a porter? A man, clearly, dressed in thick porter-ish clothing, flared trousers and military-issued boots. A thin cape of sorts with a pattern inside that could remind one of a bee which adorned his head and shoulders, parting down the middle on his back. The glint of a golden skull mask neath it would strike her particularly. He had a BB strapped to his chest, which she found both fascinating and terrifying. He'd put his free hand up to his face, an index finger over the teeth of his mask. The chiral detector on his back was snapping open and shut at the BT, though Lydia could not see the monster itself. Despite her blindness to the beast, she felt it swarming at her feet. The hand latched to her arm would slowly move down to her hand, she grasping it and keeping a deathly tight hold of it. The porter's head turned away a little bit, before he yanked her over into his chest. The BT let out a snarl. She sobbed into the porter's chest, clutching him for dear life. She felt strong, large arms around her, and suddenly, she couldn't hear the BT growling. It gave her a null comfort, to be wrapped up like this, despite not knowing this person at all. She'd turn her head to look around, and look straight at it, a tar-covered, barely human figure. She'd feel a gloved hand cover her mouth and nose, not giving her any chance to suck in a breath. She'd tremble in her coat, staring up at the BT. Minutes felt like hours staring at it, and she eventually felt heavy. Her arms and legs felt numb, her head lulling a bit. She let her eyes droop and close, because anything was better than staring at that thing for any longer. And the world went dark...


	5. Higgs

Lydia awoke to her own headache, feeling automatically as though her head were about to explode due to the pressure in it. Covering her eyes with her hands, her ears would pop. She couldn't even bother to think, just be terribly solemn and in pain.

"Wakey wakey, sunshine!" A loud, bright, and familiar voice would call from nowhere. She hated it, it was too loud to make her feel any better.

She would groan, just barely confused, and try to sit up only to fall back against what felt like a cot, with a particularly comfortable pillow.

"Come on, girly, no use laying there. You need to eat!" Said the voice, Lydia turning on her other side to try and cover her head. She didn't hear the squeak of her leather coat, which was always- oh, no, her coat! She sprung up into a sitting position and looked around, sunlight blinding her.

"Oh, gosh, you probably have the worst headache."

She'd feel warm, gloved hands on her head, thumbs on her temples and fingers curling into her hair. She almost faught against it, wrapping her hands around thickly covered wrists and letting out a sigh. Her pain slowly filtered out of her head, down her neck, coarsing through her spine and then into her legs. It dripped out of her toes like a thick tar, she groaned at the experience, it being less than pleasant. She opened her eyes and looked up at the man in the golden mask.

"Who are you...?" Lydia asked, her brow still furrowed.

"The name," he started, then putting his hands up to his chest and bouncing on his feet. "is Higgs. I'm the particle of God that permeates all existence."

Lydia stared unblinkingly at him. "Sounds familiar. And so do you. Are you a porter?"

Higgs stayed silent for a moment. "You have... no clue who I am?"

"No. How did we get out of that Timefall? And... where are we?" Lydia looked around, seeing mostly crates of supplies inside of a large tent. She stood, only to stumble and sit back down again, Higgs trying to help her.

"Woah, darlin', you've taken enough tumbles," He chuckled, his face being awfully close to hers now.

She suddenly looked right into his eye, at least what she could see behind the tinted mask lense. "Peter...?"

"Guilty," he replied in a charming voice, sitting back onto a crate and watching her. She cocked her head, confused.

"Why are you...? You dress quite different when in the city..."

"Indeed, I don't want anyone to recognize me. Peter isn't my name, either, so don't go calling me that now that you know."

"But... I... how are you...? Why were you in the Timefall? And... that BT, it didn't attack us, but..." She would keep stuttering broken words, Higgs putting a hand on the top of her head and patting her.

"I know, it doesn't make much sense. But here's a better question, why were you in a Timefall? Why were you outside in general, even after I warned you not to be?"

"I... I wanted to go outside. I wanted to feel... things, and see it. The Timefall just... showed up."

Higgs would sigh, rolling his eyes. "You could have gotten yourself killed. You don't have DOOMs, Lydia, nor are you a repatriate. Do you know how bad it would have been for you to be hit by that BT? Damnit, I won't be there next time, and there won't be a next time. You're going home."

Lydia would look down at her lap, disappointed. She didn't want to go home, but... maybe that was for the best. She stared into her thighs, thinking of the BT... the fear in that moment being brough back to life, it was... it felt real again. Tears started to well up in her eyes, stinging and burning, she sniffling.

Higgs would watch, unsure of what to do. "Awe, darlin', please don't cry."

Lydia would rub her face, trying not to. She blinked tears away, moving on. She thought of Central Knot City, remembering the terrorist attack on the NEWs, and them blaming it on-

She looked up at Higgs, her jaw dropping. "You're a Homo Demen, you're that terrorist."

He'd chuckle, standing. "Yeah, thats me, the terrorist. I blow up cities for a living."

"Why did you... I'm... I'm leaving." She announced, standing and looking around for her coat. It was nowhere to be seen, Higgs turning and looking at her.

"You won't find it."

She looked at him and snarled, taking a step forward. "Give it back."

"Why should I?"

"Because its mine, give it back."

"Mm... you make a good case. How about... no."

She jumped at him, landing on solid ground. Higgs wasn't above her anymore, but, behind her. She turned onto her back and looked at him. "Give me my coat!"

He laughed, opening his arms. "Come get it."

Lydia charged at him, he disappearing again. She tripped over a cargo box and hit her head on another, feeling her nose snap. She'd turn over, blood already spewing out of her nose and gettibg onto her white button-down. She screamed, Higgs reappearing.

"Play nice and you can get your coat back without getting hurt." He'd simply put it. She stood and looked at him, coming at him again. He didn't jump, simply grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her over onto his cot, she trying to fight and put her fists up. Her wrists were grabbed, he forcing her hands to either side of her. She understood how trapped she was now, Higgs probably enjoying all of this. "Are you going to be nice?" He asked, squeezing her wrists.

She huffed, staring up at him, blood trickling down the sides of her face and into her hair. He slowly let go of her wrists, leaning back and sitting down on the cot. She started to sit up, her coat being thrown around her shoulders. It was different, a thick black fur lining the inside. She grabbed it and pulled it shut around her shoulders, enclosing herself that way.

"You're such a child," said Higgs, starting to take his gloves off. "Now can I fix your nose so you can stop bleeding all over my shit?"

Lydia eyed him warily, having an overwhelming urge to sneeze. It must have been noticed, because a warm, moist hand would cover her nose and mouth. "Sneeze and I will hang you from my clothes line," Higgs warned, pulling away with blood all over his hand. He would throw his leg over the other side of the cot, and look directly at her, steadying his hands near her nose. "Now, this is going to hurt, so I need you to stay calm and not hit me, understood?"

Lydia nodded, burling her fists into her coat.

"On the count of three, you'll feel a snap, alright? One-"

SNAP

Lydia let out a shriek, feeling more blood drip from her face and laying back. She didn't realize how much pain she had been in before, but it was certainly worse now. She sobbed and started to cry, having never experienced something like this.

Higgs would just watch, jumping to get a washcloth and a pale of water. He'd sit back down the way he was before and dip the rag, pulling Lydia up. Without speaking, he would start wiping her face, she still crying. He would brace the back of her neck as he worked, water in the bucket becoming rosy after a few rinses. He'd start to whistle, too, giving her something to focus on besides the pain.

"Why are you... helping me?"

"Oh?" He perks up at this question, and it seems as though he wants to give a straight-shot answer instead of the one Lydia probably wanted to hear. "Personally, I don't want to be. You directly disobeyed me even though I was acting out of concern, and you fucking went outside. You would have been killed by that BT if it weren't for me, and then you come in here and act ungrateful as all fuck. And then, on top of that, you go and slam your face into my supplies, break your pretty nose, and I have to take care of it. If I didn't know any better, I'd go throw you back into a Timefall. But I'm not going to, because I'm a nice guy."

A pit grew in Lydia's stomach, spreading up to her chest. She looked back down at the felt of the cot.

"I have a proposition for you, Lydia."

"Whats that?"

"I've had a.. change of heart about taking you home. Instead, you're going to do some work for me. Got it?"

The brunette cocked her head at him. Working for a terrorist always had a catch, and she didn't want to be involved. Especially not with... him. The cities he had destroyed? Her family were in those cities. A cursed thought of actually helping him would creep into her brain, of actually helping him and-

No. She couldn't think about that. Stupid. Evil. That's what he was, right? But... he was sitting here in front of her, wiping blood from her face. She sighed, nodding. "What kind of work?"

"The kind that requires a doctor."

"I'm not-"

"Your father was, and you're a nurse, aren't you?"

"How... how do you know about my father?"

"Honey, I'm Higgs. Now, its either work or BTs, pick your poison."

Lydia stood, sighing. She'd head for the 'door', the exit of the tent, really.  
"You'd rather walk through timefall?"

"No, but I don't want to work with terrorists."

"Darlin, you ain't got a choice!"

"Fuck.. off, Peter!" Lydia snapped, hastily getting away from him. She slipped her hands into the sleeves of her coat, starting to well up. She felt heavy and hot, having planned none of this and hating all of it.

She heard him walking behind her, catching up fairly quickly.

"You can't get home without me."

"Mhm."

"You can't. We're miles away from your bunker."

"I don't care, I will walk."

Higgs scoffed. "You'll be dead in an hour."

Lydia mocked him, and then turned back, catching him off guard. "Then get me home."

"With pleasure, honey," the taller put his arm out for Lydia to take, though she didn't. Her small hand would just barely touch his arm, and they'd be off, Lydia nearly blacking out. She felt as though she were burning inside out for a mere moment. When they reappeared, she could just barely see the dim light of her room in her bunker. The overwhelming smell of lit matches would fill her head, immediately giving a headache. With wobbly knees, she'd take a step forward, only to fall on a heavy arm. Higgs braced her and held her up, slowly bringing her to her own bed and sitting her down. "You have 48 hours to think over my proposition, and then we get to work. Goodnight, darling." Lydia felt nauseous, saliva gathering in her mouth, before she fainted again. The last thing she saw was the glint of a golden mask.


	6. Golden Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Descriptions of gore and dismemberment. Read at your own risk!  
Also, I am NOT in any way, shape, or form a medical professional. I understand that most of what I am writing is incorrect, but I did put as much research as I could into it.

It has been 42 hours, Lydia sitting in her room and reading a book. It was a dreadfully long and sappy work about a woman who fell in love with a charming soldier, who eventually has to leave her for a war. She was memorizing it, barely. By this time, she hadn't slept ever since that incident with Higgs. Even now, as she closed her mind from everythig and let the book droop over her chest, sleep would not come. Her mind was wide awake, and had been churning dreadful, annoying thoughts of just one thing: Higgs. Oh, how he haunted her. He had been in every one of her thoughts, preying on her emotions. Lydia would finally stand and look around her room, at the mess of clothing and books, and medical sketches. She had been quite the talented artist from a very young age. The woman would go over to her mirror, and would peer at herself in it. She looked like a train wreck. Her skin was red and blemished, starting to break out under stress. She hadn't bothered with her hair, nor brushed her teeth more tha once since coming back. She made a disappointed face at herself, turning the faucet on and starting what was usually her morning regiment..

While Lydia pat her face, a dark and fiery presence grew behind her, and cautiously she would slow down. Looking up in the mirror, her eyes fell on Higgs.

"Afternoon, darlin'." He'd say, that sweet southern voice slicing through her. She flinched at it, but ignored him. Instead of facing him, she stomped triumphantly to her bed and picked up her book. Higgs watched, shrugging to himself and looking around at all of her things. His eyes shifted over the messes of sketches and paintings. He had to admit to himself that he'd never seen anyone who furiously went through paper like Lydia. "Talented," he would comment. "I like that in a woman. Have you thought over my proposal?"

"Go away."

Higgs picked up a few of her drawings, looking them over. He'd try to make his way through the mess without damaging anything, glancing at the petite bruntte occasionally. "You can't stay here forever, you know."

"Go away."

"I'm on the clock you know. I have-."

"You have cities to burn."

"Uh-huh, so don't waste my time," he sat on her bed, she moving away a little bit and keeping her eyes in her book.

This would have been fine. Lydia could live through his presence. She could have sat and kept reading, but then Higgs would open his stupid fucking mouth and start narrating her book. 

Thus, with a groggy and irritated groan, she stood. She stretched, feeling two eyes on her. She'd start placing books and papers into a duffle that was in her closet, along with haphazardly rolling some clothing up and tossing them in, and the few personal things she liked such as her favourite rose champagne perfume into the red sack. She'd zip it up and throw it at Higgs. A short 'oof' followed as it hit his chest. As Lydia made her way around the room and shut things off, she would put her fur boots on over her black leggings and her coat over her tanktop, pulling her hair up with a grey velvet scrunchy and then turning back to him.

"Lets get it over with."

Higgs would smile, slinging the red duffle over his shoulder and holding his hand out. Lydia's emerald-gold eyes would pin themselves to his hand, her body freezing up. Higgs would put his hand out further, quickly becoming impatient. She took it, her soft baby-hands fitting right into his. There'd be a CRACK, and she felt her insides light up, before the pain quickly ceased. Looking around, they'd be at a Homo Demen encampment... of sorts. Only about 5 men here, all severely injured.

The one nearest to the fire had his masks off, curly blonde hair and mocha skin hitting Lydia first. Looking over him, his suit was off, blistered and raw skin exposed to the air.

The next, a man in his late twenties sitting on a cargo crate, his left arm gone. Blood dripped from the nub in its place, a pool of it under him.

The third, a young boy of only 15 or 16, looking ill, a gaping hole with a 3-inch diameter in his side.

And the fourth, an older man, around 40. He didn't look too bad, save for the crown of blood he had and his right eye missing.

Lydia would cover her mouth taking this all in. She turned on heel to Higgs, rage in her eyes. "These men need a doctor!" She exclaimed.

"Honey, thats why you're here," Higgs replied, letting her duffle fall off of his shoulder and onto the ground.

The brunette scoffed. "Get me some supplies, then, you-"

Higgs' mask froze on her, and she couldn't come up with an insult.

"Please," she forced out, turning to the worst injury: missing arm. She'd kneel down next to the poor man who was clearly in shock, his hazel eyes staring into the fire. She tapped his knee, gently, and he would shift his gaze to her. The nurse introduced herself and asked if she could operate on him, he slowly nodding. She'd turn her head to look at Higgs, who, of course, was right there next to her, opening a medkit.

"We are going to need a lot more than just this." She would say softly, letting her coat fall down her arms and tying the sleeves around her waist. With experienced hands, she'd take out the roll of bandages and the gauze, sitting up a bit straighter. "Higgs, place the gauze and hold his shoulder, I'll wrap him."

She heard a scoff from the golden-masked man. "You expect me to-"

"Yes, I do. Gauze. Now, Higgs."

Higgs would mock her ordering in a high-pitched voice, grabbing the gauze violently, before Lydia grabbed his arm.

"Water," She would say, taking the gauze. "Clean, preferably."

Higgs obeyed, pulling his canteen out and opening it. She snatched it from him and poured it over her hands, telling him to take his gloves off and do the same.

Soon enough, Higgs would have placed gauze down on the nub, Lydia wrapping it up to the poor man's collarbone.

Lydia let out huff. "Morphine when he starts to feel it, and rest. All of them need it."

She went over to the next hole, asking the man who held it to remove his suit. He unzipped and did so, Lydia having to cover her mouth. This was an older wound, but severely infected. Pus and blood mixture oozed from the man, Lydia grunting and trying to block the scent out

"Not much I can do," she said. "Besides dress you and give you antibiotics. I assume your Commander will provide." She kneeled and started wrapping his torso, glancing at Higgs, who kept his eyes on her.  
She moved over to the burn victim, who was in severe pain. She leaned down and looked over the flesh, refusing to touch it without gloves. It was definitely a second degree, but a bit dramatic for one. The skin was radiating heat, and the blisters were welling up to pop soon. She looked into the blond's blue eyes, opening her mouth. "Three weeks of rest and fluids. The skin will start to peel and burst soon, and then I can treat you much better. Understood?"  
He nodded, appreciating her soft,calm tone. All of them did, even if they were a bit out of it.

Last came the older man, with a missing eye. She kneeled in front of him and tested his other eye first, checking the pupil, etc. Judging from the rest of the trauma, he had a bad concussion, but the eye... she didn't know what to do. All she could think about while gaping into that hole was a velvet eye patch, and grey hair. Medical books and cedar wood smoke.. ashes and worlds collapsing.

Higgs picked up on her hesitation, stepping over. "Are you going to treat that, doctor?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I, uh... can't. I don't know how."

"You're a nurse, you have to."

"I'm telling you I don't know. His eye is missing, Higgs."

"And?"

"And I wasn't-" Lydia would stop herself, sighing. She stepped away, not wanting to lose her cool around these pitiful men. She would go back to her duffle, picking it up. "Was that all you needed?"

Higgs would shake his head, Lydia sighing. "Who else?"

"No one else, not yet, darlin'." He would walk away from the site, motioning her to follow. The sun was starting to hang low, Lydia watching it and thinking of fire. She stopped, staring up at the golden hour swooping in. Higgs turned and called her, forcing her to quickly catch up. They went back over to his tent, where she had been just a few days ago. After inviting her inside, the girl would see that everything was the same, save for another cot. Higgs would throw his hood down and pull his masks off. She was almost shocked by it, seeing his face for the first time. Under any other circumstances, he was attractive. Too attractive. It made her feel something.

He would catch her stare, sky blue eyes locking with her own green ones. "Honey, you keep starin', I might just catch feelings."

She shook. "I suppose I'll be sleeping there?" She made a half-assed motion to the other cot, Higgs smiling.

"Not as thick skulled as she is thick-thighed, pleasant!" Was the only compliment that Higgs would put effort into without straying from a sarcastic comment.

"Yuh-huh, of course, yep, yeah." She sarcastically said, not really listening. Higgs would watch her, her back turned on him. With limber steps he was behind her, head down and nose in her neck. Lydia froze, a sketchbook half open in her hand. Was he... sniffing her?

She felt the tip of his nose glide up her neck, to her hairline, and cold breath on her ear.

"You know, you better save the attitude for someone who won't feed you to some violently horny soldiers, who have kept their hormones bottled up for months, darling. They'll specifically come for that... rosy.." She felt him draw in the scent of her hair, shivering. His BB pod was in her back, pressing her forward. A low hum rattled in her ear, Higgs particularly pleased with her. "Champagne. They might mistake you for it and drink a bit too much."

She could hear the parting of his lips as he ran his tongue over her cheek from her ear, cringing and tightening her grip on her book. "Hm. Never really tastes the way that it smells, does it?" He'd half-whisper, pulling away and letting out a sinister laugh.  


Lydia wiped her face with her hand, putting her sketchpad away as Higgs started whistling


	7. Ashes to Ashes

Lydia slipped out of a dreamless sleep in the morning. It was just barely dawn, the sun hadn't come up yet, but there was light to see by inside the tent. After sitting up, she peered around for Higgs, who was nowhere to be seen. As her stomach growled and body demanded to be fed, she would finally get up, put her coat on, and slip outside. The air was particularly frosty, stinging her nose as she took a deep breath of it. Looking over, she'd see the bonfire site, the four men from last night still huddled around it. Confusing, she thought. With soft steps. she made her way over. They were all bent over, staring down into the empty and charred logs.

"Good morning, everyone," she said softly. They did not move. She couldn't see any of their faces, so she'd bend down between the two, peering up into four skulls instead of live humans. She yelped and jumped up and away. What the hell? After another look, they were indeed just... skeletons. Each charred and looking as though they had been sent through an inferno. She reached out to touch one, and it turned to ash as she neared its cheek. The ash gave to the frosty breeze, leaving suddenly limp clothing in its place. Lydia shook, standing up. She'd hear someone shuffle behind her, looking back with an eerily natural "Higgs?" falling from her throat.

No one was there. The sound reappeared on her opposite side, but when she twisted, there was nothing there either. She called out for Higgs. He had to be around here somewhere, she'd repeat to herself with hope in mind. Even if he was a big scary terrorist, she was apparently on his side now. If he needed her as much as he said, he would have to protect her... at least that was what she was hoping for. She would start walking off to go find him, calling out his name over the valley.

He was nearby, at least, standing with his back to her, at the river nearby the camp. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw his cloak, trotting up. "Higgs, I was worried you'd left. Your men at the camp, they're... they're dead, Higgs!"

He would not respond to her.

Now she was worried.

She repeat his name once more, putting a hand up on his shoulder. He flinched and looked down at her. "Lydia," he said softly, as if it hurt him to roll her name out.

"Yes?"

"Lyyyyydia. Little Lydia..."

"Higgs, I'm not in the mood for a game. Whats wrong?"

He would start laughing, that manic and evil laugh that she nearly despised. She felt herself sink to the ground, and looking down, she would find herself in a pool of chiralium. Screams followed as BTs grabbed at her and starting pulling her under, she reaching up and repeating for Higgs, who only stood there and laughed.

"Higgs, please, HIGGS-" Lydia felt herself hit hard ground, and opened her eyes to sunlight. She looked around and was back in the tent, safe and sound. Higgs stood above her, hands on his hips.

"Screaming my name already? I'm getting a very questionable impression of you, darlin'." He laughed, holding his hand out to her. She took it, being yanked up to him. Putting a hand on his chest for support, she'd catch her breath, feeling his hand on her head again. With a very suddenly angry attitude, she pushed him off, sitting back down in her cot.

Higgs growled, "fine, I won't help."

"I don't need your help."

" Of course you don't. Just like my men don't need you. "

"Higgs," Lydia stated, standing up and stretching. "Please do keep in mind I am not a combat nurse. Some of these wounds I've never seen before, and just can't... treat. Things were much more gentle at the library."

The man let out a short, stubby, sarcastic laugh. He turned and went over to a supply kit, popping it open. Lydia peered over to catch a glimpse of what he was doing. Eyeing up a hardcover book in his nimble fingers, she grinned, but got rid of the smile before Higgs could see. It was the "biography" of a World War Two medical veteran, descriptions of battle days and treating in the trench covering all of its pages. The brunette accepted it into her waiting hands, skimming through the pages.

"I'll read it after breakfast."

Higgs would nod, and turn to leave, Lydia sitting back down and smiling gleefully. She opened the book and started on the first page. She stopped herself, however, once a doomed thought crept into her head.

Was she... starting to like Higgs?

Immediately her brain went to work on berrating her like a mother, repeating that Higgs was a terrorist who ran a terrorist cell and could not be trusted. She was here against her will and she was being forced to work for him... right?

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i havent updated in forever and i hate that. im lacking inspiration for what to do. please help.  
would you all like me to continue the story? or would we rather it died?


	8. Goin' Necro!

Lydia stared down at the limp man lying in the dirt. He was one of the men she had treated the week before when she had been recruited by Higgs. He was starting to necrotize, a pool of chiralium swelling through his suit. She felt as though she couldn't move, couldn't speak.

A heavy hand would press down on her shoulder, and time started again. Lydia looked up to see Higgs, who would look down at the body, then then turned his head to her.

"Having fun?" He asked. He stepped past her and kneeled in front of the body, examining it briskly. "Go tell the others to start packing up and marching ahead."

She did as told, going outside and yelling to the other Demens to pack up and move out.

She looked back inside to see Higgs pulling his cape off. He threw it over her head in the fashion he usually wore it, the smaller brunette trying to move away.

"Don't worry, don't worry," he hushed. "Its to protect you."

"The fuck are you talking about?" Lydia asked as Higgs slipped the golden band that held the cape onto her neck. He carefully adjusted the hood so it would protect her face, and then took his gloves off to hand to her.

"Oh, darling, don't you realize?" Higgs asked, his hands resting on her shoulder. "We're goin' necro!"

Lydia still stared confusedly. She followed as Higgs giggled and went outside, staying close to his arm. They both stayed behind as the others went, Higgs as giddy as a school boy.

A storm would brew overhead, Lydia's heartbeat starting to rise.

Higgs went back into the tent, looking down at the body of his boy. It was convulsing violently now. He would rub his nimble hands together, laughing manically. He grabbed Lydia's wrist and pulled her to him, wrapping an arm around her. " Watch," He started, lightning striking outside.

Lydia didn't mind. She felt like a ragdoll anyways now, and had given up struggling against him.

She turned her attention outside, thunder rolling over the plains and rattling her ears. A golden mask of crystals was forming already on the body of the fallen Demen, it sinking into the ground. Chiralium lapped at her feet, and she would try to jump away. Higgs laughed again, squeezing her and keeping her close. She put her hands on his forearm, which was "protectively" cast over her chest. The hands of BTs would reach up to her knees, trying to pull her under. She closed her eyes and sucked in her breath, before feeling her organs flop and slip into her chest. It was not a pleasant feeling. Higgs' voice would be down in her ear again as she would open her eyes.

"This is my world," He would say softly, pointing out into the murky gray void. Lydia leaned forward, looking over an edge of a chiralium boulder and down to the ground hundreds of feet below. She gasped, covering her mouth. Higgs would chuckle, holding her shoulder. "A beautiful view, isn't it?"

Indeed it was. Below them, BTs were drifting about, doing BT business and standing in the rain. Lydia knew she could only see them because Higgs was there. As she studied them, she saw them take much different forms. Animals like wolves and elk, rabbits and birds would come to life. The wolves carried themselves in packs and spread out to trap a deer, birds nest in trees and snuggle with one another. It gave her a sugary joy to see the creatures she only ever found in books being reborn on what should have been their homes. Lydia moved closer to the edge to get a better look, Higgs intrigued by her curiosity. Normally, he thought, people would be disgusted by this kind of thing. Those innocent creatures with such mediocre lives being trapped and tortured here.

"Its sickening, in a romantic kind of way," Lydia started. "I guess one can compare it to being on a roller coaster." She looked back at Higgs, her straight smile striking him. She actually enjoyed this?

"Ah, this is just... just a little bit of what I can do."

The brunette eagerly took his nimble hand in hers, the soft rain had no effect on him. "Show me more."

Under his mask, Higgs blushed. It bewildered him to think someone else shared his sight into the beauty of the Timefall. With a humble little coo, he'd put his free hand on her shoulder, gently patting it. "Later."

Her smile faltered at his reply, disappointment flashing in her eyes quicker than a bolt of lightning. "But there's so much to see here!"

"And we have to keep moving. Never live in one spot, darlin'. I thought Daddy told you that."

Just like that, he fucked up. Lydia pulled her hands away from his, she had almost forgot why exactly she was here. She turned back to the "thriving" nature scene below, immediately out of the glossy spell he had put on her. "Right, we must keep marching." She became cold, just as she was before any of this started.

The rain would start to get heavier, Higgs lowering them down to the ground and she already walking off in the direction that the others had gone. He followed and grabbed her arm when he got close enough. In a flash they were gone, standing in sunlight again. A group of Homo Demens all turned their head to the two, each collectively having the same thought. Lydia carefully pulled Higgs' equipment from her body and passively tossed them to him, starting to march with the others.

"Right!" The leader called as he shuffled inbetween everyone. "We make thirty meters Southwest and park. There we meet up with Zarkoff and his troop." His voice boomed through his mask, orders clear as day. He did, however, move back to Lydia, planning to not stray too far from her...

~

The sun was beginning to peel away from the horizon as the camp settled in. Lydia was sitting and furiously sketching away in one of her loose and worn leather-bound sketchbooks. She was just sitting outside in the middle of camp, not particularly happy with the drawing absence of light, but she didn't fancy sleeping in any of the tents. Her legs ached from the marching, and her head from taking in the events of earlier today. Higgs hadn't left her side since the Timefall, only gone now to go speak to his close command. General Zarkoff. Lydia wondered where she had heard that name before... eh, what did it matter? Terrorists were terrorists. She'd grunt to herself and snap her book shut, putting it and her pencils back in her bag. She stared into the sunset, sighing softly.

"Lyds!" She heard from across the camp, looking over. Higgs was calling her from his tent, waving. "Come hither!"

With a grunt she did so.

She would come inside to a warm lantern glow and the scent of hand-rolled cigarettes. The only way she knew that scent was from the elders she lived with.

A man was sitting at a foldout table where two other chairs poised next to each other. The scent drifted from him, a long cigarette hanging from his thin lips. Lydia took a moment to study him. His round chin, not pointed or chiseled or anything of the sort. He had a long face, worn with age and time and scars of all sorts. His sleeves were rolled up, arms on the table holding playing cards fanned between thick and callused hands. They must be playing poker, she thought. Granted, that was the only card game she knew. Dead gray eyes would study her in the way she was studying him, and for a moment, they became soft. The man pushed thin, silver hair away from his face, his old-fashioned military haircut dropping on him. A sort of essence of intelligence came off of him, the way he held himself, the way he looked at her. She shifted weight from one heel to another, not nervously, but just... curious. A curious little mouse staring at a jaguar.

Higgs woke her from the situation, his damn-near annoying voice splitting the air between the two. "Lydia, this is General Marchel Zarkoff. General, this is my doctor, Lydia. She's here to take care of the soldiers."

"A pleasure," the General nodded. His voice came like rolling wind over thin wildgrass. It was thick and grey and filled with wounds.

"Come, darlin', sit and play poker with us. You can be the lap girl if you want." Higgs giggled at his own remark, sitting down at one of the chairs across from the older man and picking up his cards again. Lydia pulled the third chair away from Higgs and sat at the corner of the table, eyeing them both. Higgs was definitely the breaking energy in the room. While Zarkoff was calm and thumbed over his cards gently, Higgs was smiling and bluffing through his pearly white teeth. Lydia placed her chin in her hand and watched, waiting for conversation to resume so she could find out why she was in here.

It did not. It just continued to be quiet, the only noise was the occasional sprite of conversation outside and the folding and slapping of cards. The brunette just watched, forest eyes on the deck that wasn't in use. Eventually her eyes began to droop, though she knew she wasn't going to sleep. She might get killed if she went to sleep near these two dangers.

"So," came the wind-voice again, ripping her from her mental peace. "Madamoiselle Lydia, how did you become a doctor?"

She looked to Zarkoff, his gentle eyes looking back and forth between her and the game.

"I'm not." She responded shortly, arousing a look of small confusion from the man. "I'm a nurse, taught by elderlies at the bunker I call home."

"I see. So you have no experience in the field or trench?"

"No, sir, but I have no choice but to learn."

"Mhm..." the General would nod slowly, Higgs glancing to Lydia and smiling his radiant smile at her. "Forgive me for being prudent, but why exactly are you still here?"

Lydia took a deep breath, thinking that over. It seemed like an easy question, really. "Well... I don't have a choice. I'm in debt with Higgs, I suppose."

"Another of your bad deals, Higgs. I'm disappointed. You should let the lady go, we have no use for her."

Higgs would snap his gaze to Zarkoff, his expression turning sour. "I do."

Lydia stood, starting to head outside. "Perhaps I shan't interrupt your game anymore." She tripped over Higgs' BB pod, and came crashing to the ground with a yelp. Higgs stood and gazed down at her, slowly lifting the pod up into his arms. After sighting the strong red glow as she turned her head, she sprang back up like a kangaroo on RedBull-brewed coffee, looking at it. "Did I hurt it?" She asked, Higgs hissing at her and hugging it to his chest. He'd turn away, thumbing over the BB. Lydia felt tears well up in her eyes. She hurt it, she just knew she hurt it. That poor baby, already in so much pain from being forever away from its mother, and she just had to fuck with it. She tried to peer over Higgs' arm, but the black sealant tbat kept the babies hidden was already covering it. Higgs glared down at her, his long and gentle hands hugging his BB tightly. Lydia wiped her face, rushing out broken 'I'm sorrys' and swiftly running off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly kinda petty of me to drop an update after like half a year but here we are.


	9. Fire

Lydia sat on a hill overlooking the camp, the fires going out, lanterns dimming. Her head was nestled in her hands, and she was rather calm. With her mind blank, her moment of peace was settling in. That was, before she heard the snapping of air around her and a burnt-match smell filled her nostrils. With a groan, she turned her head up, Higgs taking a seat next to her.

"I didn't mean to snap at you," he said briskly as she scooted away. "I get protective over my BB."

"I noticed," she replied in gentle response, her soprano voice ringing his ears. She sung like rose gold, bright, but easy. Given other circumstances, and without all of this shit going on, he felt as though he would come to love that voice.

Higgs coughed, trying to be friendly. He thought he could be close with this little brunette, maybe be a bit soft and she would see his cause. Of course she would be soft back. It was only human nature, he knew. Then again, the last time he was soft with a woman, she got him trapped on the beach for a very long time. He straitened up, putting hope into this situation. "Tell me a bit about yourself, Lydia. I'd like to get to know you."

A glare was his response, Lydia not so sure about talking to him. Yet again she got a subtle reminder from her conscious the reason she was here.

Higgs cocked his head down, narrowing his eyes at her. "Come on, see it as a... a resumée of sorts. After all, we'll be working very close to each other." He smirked, that devilishly handsome smirk that drove any girl wild in a different dimension.

Lydia cringed, and looked back down into the camp. "I'm twenty-three, I like The Beatles, and I draw." She replied shortly. As vain an answer as possible, and maybe Higgs would fuck off.

"The... the what?"

The brunette gasped. "You don't know who The Beatles are?" She exclaimed. Not that she expected anyone to, they were living post-apocalypse, after all.

"No clue, didn't have a childhood. I assume you're going to tell me?" Higgs leaned back on his elbows, looking up into the night sky. He did always love the sky, how free and open it was.

He would feel a nudge on his shoulder, looking back over to Lydia. She held a Zune in her hand, earbuds too, offered out to him. "The fuck?" He started, taking one earbud. "How did you come across one of these?"

"One of the people in the bunker with me, they had a collection of electronics from before the Stranding. This was one. Charlie, he was. A good man. Taught me everything about life before doomsday. Didn't have use for this, so, he gave it to me. Said he would put any song I wanted on it."

"And you chose the... Beatles?"

She nodded triumphantly, as if she were bragging about her knowledge. He slipped the earbud in and looked at her. With one gentle press, the heavy and distorted riff of Revolution would be blasting into the right side of his skull. He flinched at first, immediately annoyed by the noise. Lydia put the other earbud in and laid back, staring up at the sky with the Zune in her hand.

Higgs did as she did and went flat on his back, his head resting on his hands. After that disaster of a beginning was over, the song was actually fairly good. The lyrics he especially liked, being the anarchist he was.

After it was over, Lydia went to turn it off, Higgs humming in protest. "I like it, keep playing it." He half-demanded, shocked green eyes glancing at him.

"You really do?”

“Mhm.”

With an awkward smile, Lydia laid back again, switching to Hard Day's Night instead. She resumed stargazing, her hands over her ribs and torso.

~

A strong scent of salt filled Higgs' nostrils, threatening to burn whatever sense of smell he had. He grunted and pried his eyes open to rainy skies, sand speckling his face. Did he wake up on the Beach again? He looked around, standing. He was in what he fell asleep in; vest, tunic, trousers, boots. No cloak, no odradek, no BB. No mask. He growled to himself. He didn't remember falling asleep, just the moonlight and music.

Right, Lydia. He was with Lydia. He must have fallen asleep there. He stood and dusted himself off, peering around. This wasn't his Beach. This wasn't his fucking Beach at all. It was too clean, too clear. There was grass nearby, even.

"Morning, sunshine," a familiar voice came from behind. Higgs sneered, twisting around to catch dirty blonde hair.

"You."

"You," she echoed, French accent curled around her chords. Fragile glared at him, circling him like a dog circles its prey. Higgs felt weak in his legs, for once being taken out of his position of power. He hated it. "I've found you." She said in a mix of hatred and triumph.

"You ain't found nothing, honey," Higgs replied, snarling. "You don't know where I am."

"Maybe not physically, but I can trap you here again."

“Fuck. You."

With a bang, Higgs was awake, staring up into sunshine. It was blinding. He was sore, and his jaw had been clenched so tightly in his sleep his teeth were pressing each other into the gums. He sat up and cracked his neck, a thick blanket falling into his lap. Actually, looking at it, it was not a blanket at all. It was Lydia's red leather coat, draped over him as much as it could he. He felt grass under his fingers. _Fallen asleep outside, just like the dumbass you are_.

After a good yawn and stretch, the blonde started walking back down to camp, coat thrown over one shoulder. He slipped into his tent to find a very awake Lydia cradling his BB pod, though the infant itself was concealed. Her Zune was sitting on the cot, a catchy tune drifting out of its earbuds loud enough for her to hear and dance to. Well, not dance, really, but sway around with the BB.

"Having fun?" the male interrupted, walking over and retrieving his hood and golden mask from under his pillow.

He would recieve a grunt in response as he slipped the hood on.

"Good morning anyways," he snapped, shocking the dancing woman in front of him.

"Cranky?" she asked, cooing at the BB.

"No, never. Everything is just dandy. Where's Zarkoff?"

"He went out."

"Out where?"

"Out. Thats all he told me-" Lydia would be stopped by a hard hand on her arm, then the BB pod being yanked from her grasp.

"Don't touch my baby." Higgs warned, and he was serious.

Lydia mocked him in that bitchy high tone people use to mock each other. She slipped her coat on and followed Higgs, the smell of breakfast being cooked filling the encampment. The sun was shining high, but clouds were off in the distance. The brunette swallowed hard, turning her collars up and continuing. She started humming an old tune her mother used to sing, O' Come All Ye Faithful. It brought an orange joy to her head, Christmastime.

For a moment she heard piano. And she hated that. She hated the piano with all of her heart. It reminded her of her parents, singing by the piano nearly every chance they could. Even when mom got sick.

Lydia counted her steps as she walked, having no particular set limit in mind. Perhaps it was just her, but counting gave her a small escape. There was nothing to bother her, she slipping and sliding on the word like ice. Her legs felt heavy, but she kept walking. Walking, counting, walking counting, walking, counting. An enless, traditional ritual. Walking, counting. It was simple. It was simple and didn't matter. She favoured that. Until she walked into something. Something firm and waiting, a short 'oof!' escaping her as she went head first into a body.

Zarkoff's emotionless gray eyes were fixed on Lydia, the brunette apologizing profusely. Zarkoff kept staring, brushing silver hair from his forehead. "Continue your marching, silver soldier," he whispered, a poetic tone lacing the rim of his voice... kind of.

Lydia watched as he maneuvered around her, back into the camp she was leaving. What was all that about? Silver Soldier. She slipped the words around in her mouth, letting out a cold breath. She would have to draw that. Silver soldier... silver soldier...

Lydia would take a position above the camp, her back to it as she returned to the hill she stargazed from last night. What was a silver soldier, exactly? She thought this, among many other questions to herself. God, she could kill for a smoke right now... though she had never touched a cigarette in her life. Okay, maybe once, while under supervision. But thats our little secret.

Over the horizon came a cloud of dust, which didn't concern her at first. It seemed normal to have supplies come in. She kept watching the dust cloud, making out trucks in the clouds. After a while, the trucks got darker. She made out a white logo on the sides, the trucks going straight towards the camp. A map of America, with bold letters over it: BRIDGES.

Her expression dropped. She ran back down into the camp as fast as her legs would take her, yelling at the top of her lungs: "BRIDGES! BRIDGES from the East!"

A Demen would get in front of her and grab her shoulders. "The hell are you talking about, woman!?"

"BRIDGES! BRIDGES trucks are coming from the East, headed right-"

The growl of engines drew into earshot, Lydia pulling herself away. Higgs and Zarkoff appeared nearby, a storm immediately brewing above. Higgs looked over to Lydia and skipped over, pulling his hood off.

"There's a truck on the other side of the camp," he said rather calmly, throwing his hood over her head. "I want you to take it and head North. I'll meet you up the pass, got it?"

"The hell? No! I'm a doctor, these men need me first!" Came the protest, Lydia breaking away with the hood half done and going into a supply tent for some gloves. She needed her hands. She grabbed a medkit and threw it over her shoulder. Opening another, she pulled out some wrap and syringes of morphine and putting them in every pocket she could get them into.

Higgs watched, before backing off, going back outside and calling for a front line to be formed out of the little 30-40 man group he had. Zarkoff would be loading an AR, though it didn't matter what kind, and setting up to start shooting. The storm above broke, heavy rains following. The rise of bullets would startle Lydia, she waiting in the tent.

She read in the book that they kept tents. The doctors, and the nurses. Soldiers brought in wounded, and the doctors tended. Other doctors were out in the field shooting and doing work in the trenches. Lydia was not a trench girl.

As she waited, Higgs would reappear in front of her, startling her.

"I forgot to give you this," he said swiftly, slipping his firearm from its holster on his waist and holding it out for her.

"The fuck? I can't shoot! Don't give that to me," Lydia pushed the gun away, Higgs groaning.

"I don't care, we don't have time for-"

A line of bullets sliced the air inbetween the two, Lydia ducking.

"Look," Higgs started, pushing the gun back to the brunette. "Point and squeeze, try not to let it get to you."

Lydia barely had a grip on the gun as Higgs let go and turned to leave. She sighed and carefully put it into one coat pocket, an injured Homo Demen already being rushed into her tent.

The body count rose one by one, each body getting gorier and gorier. Though barely minutes had passed, Lydia was swarmed. Zarkoff had ordered that the tent was their base, and if it were to fall, they were all fucked. Men were already jumping ship, running to the West or South, where they couldn't be followed very far by BRIDGEs. They had makeshift gurneys out of cots, the tent was practically flooded with blood.

The flaps of the tent were thrown open, the brunette whipping around and yanking her gun out of her coat. She didn't even think before squeezing the trigger and-

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

A body fell to the ground, whisps of light grey smoke rising out of the muzzel of the pistol. Lydia stared into the empty, thick air where a BRIDGEs man had stood. The gun rattled like a coiled snake in her hand. The BRIDGEs man was gurgling his own blood, looking up at her with fear-filled brown eyes.

"Some.... moral... code... huh, doc?" He asked, barely sitting up and glaring up at her from under his hat.

Lydia let out a shaky breath as he slumped back to the ground. The tent went black and white, as though Death himself had come in.

As the flap of the tent was pulled back again, Lydia squeezed the trigger again.

Higgs threw a hand over his shoulder and let out a pain groaned. "You know, doll, if I wanted any more holes in me today, I would have asked." He glanced down at his half-dead Demen, the dead-dead BRIDGEs man, and Lydia.

Oh, poor Lydia. Lydia who stared at him with wild and terrified eyes, Lydia who held a gun - his gun - in her trembling hand. Lydia who had just been through hell, quivering like a loose leaf in a thunderstorm.

With a sudden calm, Higgs dropped down a bit, holding his hands up. "Hey, Lyds... its alright now. There's no one else left. You don't have to be scared anymore. Just... just give me the gun, alright?" He put his left hand out to her, wagging his fingers to take the gun back.

Lydia took a hesitant step towards him, Higgs placidly slipped the gun from her grip and shinking it back into its holster. Lydia broke down, bursting into a fit of hysterics. Higgs took her into his arms and held her against him. Lord knows what this fragile little flower was feeling, he thought.

He tempered the pounding in her head as he ran his gloved hands through her hair. Her cries and sobs melted into soft huffs and softer sighs. Higgs gently rolled her head in his hands, turning her gaze up to him. He smiled, chiralium from his gloves smudging on her pale cheeks, which were still slightly rosy from her fit of tears. "Lets get you out of here," he said softly, kissing her forehead. Too worn out to protest, Lydia let out a heavy huff and nodded. The male gathered her up into his arms bridal style and carried her away from the disaster, Lydia was limp, staring up at the murky grey sky.

"Higgs," she whimpered, her voice broken like old leather.

"Hm?"

"Everyone is dead."

"I know."

"Are you used to that?"

"I never am, and I never will be."

Lydia tried nodding, but couldn't bring her head up.

"I can walk."

"I don't want you to."

"Why not?

Higgs glanced down at the lady. He was afraidd she would shatter if he let her down. She was as light as fine China, something to be saved for the most important of guests. He was going to save her, use her as she was; a delicate rose. But he knew she wasn't just that. She was a mighty little mouse, really. Sparkles shined in her eyes, she was the universe itself, scattered with stars that would never be reached. It brought a hot and heavy ache to his chest, that filled his body. One could say that he had a crush.

At least, thats what he was starting to realize.


End file.
